As a result of environmental and other concerns, plastic containers, more specifically polyester and even more specifically polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers are now being used more than ever to package numerous commodities previously supplied in glass containers. Manufacturers and fillers, as well as consumers, have recognized that PET containers are lightweight, inexpensive, recyclable and manufacturable in large quantities.
Blow-molded plastic containers have become commonplace in packaging numerous commodities. PET is a crystallizable polymer, meaning that it is available in an amorphous form or a semi-crystalline form. The ability of a PET container to maintain its material integrity relates to the percentage of the PET container in crystalline form, also known as the “crystallinity” of the PET container. The following equation defines the percentage of crystallinity as a volume fraction:
      %    ⁢                  ⁢    Crystallinity    =            (                        ρ          -                      ρ                          a              ⁢                                                                                                        ρ            c                    -                      ρ            a                              )        ×    100  where ρ is the density of the PET material; ρa is the density of pure amorphous PET material (1.333 g/cc); and ρc is the density of pure crystalline material (1.455 g/cc).
Container manufacturers use mechanical processing and thermal processing to increase the PET polymer crystallinity of a container. Mechanical processing involves orienting the amorphous material to achieve strain hardening. This processing commonly involves stretching an injection molded PET preform along a longitudinal axis and expanding the PET preform along a transverse or radial axis to form a PET container. The combination promotes what manufacturers define as biaxial orientation of the molecular structure in the container. Manufacturers of PET containers currently use mechanical processing to produce PET containers having approximately 20% crystallinity in the container's sidewall.
Thermal processing involves heating the material (either amorphous or semi-crystalline) to promote crystal growth. On amorphous material, thermal processing of PET material results in a spherulitic morphology that interferes with the transmission of light. In other words, the resulting crystalline material is opaque, and thus, generally undesirable. Used after mechanical processing, however, thermal processing results in higher crystallinity and excellent clarity for those portions of the container having biaxial molecular orientation. The thermal processing of an oriented PET container, which is known as heat setting, typically includes blow molding a PET preform against a mold heated to a temperature of approximately 250° F.-350° F. (approximately 121° C.-177° C.), and holding the blown container against the heated mold for approximately two (2) to five (5) seconds. Manufacturers of PET juice bottles, which must be hot-filled at approximately 185° F. (85° C.), currently use heat setting to produce PET bottles having an overall crystallinity in the range of approximately 25%-35%.
Typically, an upper portion of the plastic container defines an opening. This upper portion is commonly referred to as a finish and includes some means for engaging a cap or closure to close off the opening. In the traditional injection-stretch blow molding process, the finish remains substantially in its injection molded state while the container body is formed below the finish. The finish may include at least one thread extending radially outwardly around an annular sidewall defining a thread profile. In one application, a closure member or cap may define a complementary thread, or threads, that are adapted to cooperatively mate with the threads of the finish.
An alternative method may be used to form the finish portion of the container. This alternative method is known as a blown finish. During this alternative process, the finish portion of the container is created in the blow mold utilizing a process similar to the blow molding process described above. This alternative process enables production of a lighter-weight finish portion, and thus container, than is possible through the traditional injection molding production method.
Typically, the finish of the container includes an outwardly facing support flange. Such a support flange can be used to carry or orient a preform through and at various stages of manufacture. For example, the preform may be carried by the support flange, the support flange may be used to aid in positioning the preform in a mold, or an end consumer may use the support flange to carry the plastic container once manufactured.